Oscar Pistorius arrested after "he accidentally shot dead girlfriend after mistaking her for a burglar"

Blade Runner Oscar Pistorius charged with murder after 'he accidentally shot dead his model girlfriend at his luxury South Africa home when he mistook her for an intruder'Incident happened on his Pretoria farm, north-east of Johannesburg at 4am Sprinter is in police custody before a court appearance laterDead woman is former FHM model Reeva SteenkampShe was shot several times in the head, chest and the armPistorius believed to have told police he thought she was an intruderMedia reporting it could have been a Valentine's Day surprise gone wrong

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His agent Peet van Zyl is heading to Pretoria to speak to his client.

'I hope I can have access to him at the police station,' he said.

'Oscar is a humble person and a lovely guy – I’m sure what’s happened has been a terrible mistake but I really don’t have the details at the moment.'

Pretoria police would not confirm the man's identity
until he appears in court, adding a 9mm pistol was recovered from the scene and a case of
murder is being investigated.

Officers are still busy with
preliminary investigations at the scene, and statements are being taken
from neighbours on the luxury Silverwoods estate.

Police say the couple were the only people in the home at the time, there was no sign of forced entry and said the claim that Pistorius had thought his girlfriend was an intruder had not come from them.

Spokeswoman Denise Beukes added: 'I can confirm there have been previous allegations at the home of Oscar Pistorius.

‘The allegations were of a domestic nature and took place in the last two years.'

They also said that in the past they had been called to his home to deal with allegations of domestic violence.

Homes there are surrounded by a giant
wall, with electric fences and armed guards who stop every vehicle leaving or entering to
keep it secure in a country with high rates of violent crime.

Around 50 people every day are murdered in South Africa and it is common for people to keep weapons in their home.

In
an interview with the Mail before London 2012 it was revealed Pistorius slept
with a pistol next to his bed, a machine gun by a window with a cricket bat and baseball bat behind the door.

'The problem is when the guards are in on the crime. It’s usually safe in guarded estates like this until that happens,’ he said.

Police: South African police vehicles enter the Siverwoods security estate in Pretoria East where famous South African paralympic and Olympic sprinter, Oscar Pistorius, allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp today

In an interview with the New York Times he took a reporter to the local shooting range to fire his 9mm handgun and two boxes of ammunition.

When the journalist hit the bullseye he said: 'If you practiced, I think you could be pretty deadly,' adding he would go shooting 'sometimes when I can’t sleep'.

Arnu Fourie, Pistorius's roommate during London 2012 said today: 'My heart is broken for Oscar'.

'I feel for Oscar and the girl's family, I pray for him and her family, I can not imagine how they feel.

'Poor Oscar in his life had so many disappointments and tough times'.

Scene: Police were called to Oscar's home, pictured, at 4am where a 30-year-old woman was treated by paramedics but died there

Death: Oscar Pistorius on his Pretoria at his house in Pretoria, where a woman believed to be his girlfriend was found shot dead today

Grand: Mr Pistorius lives in a large farm in Pretoria, which is surrounded by high walls and armed guards

Miss
Steenkamp, a law graduate from Port Elizabeth, gave an interview to the
Sunday Times in South Africa last week where she described her
boyfriend as 'an impeccable man who always her best interests at heart'.

On
her Facebook and Twitter pages, she describes herself as an 'SA Model,
FHM Cover Girl, Tropika Island of Treasure Celeb Contestant, Law
Graduate, Ambassador'

This weekend, Steenkamp was set to star in South African reality television series Tropika Island Of Treasure, in which celebrities and ordinary people compete in remote, exotic locations in a variety of daily challenges.

On the show's website, a tribute to Steenkamp says: 'We are deeply saddened and extend our condolences to Reeva's family and friends.'

Model: Reeva Steenkamp had been seeing Oscar since November but had forged her own successful career in South Africa

Famous: The 30-year-old has 3,000 followers on Twitter and is a law graduate from Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Sarit Tomlinson, Steenkamp’s publicist, told Sky News: ‘She was the sweetest human being and an absolute angel on earth. She was the kindest, most unbelievable girl.

‘They had been together for a couple of months and it had been a healthy, fabulous relationship. At the moment it’s shocking. No-one knows what’s happened.

‘She was a rising star. There was so much in the pipeline for her: she was just about to explode into the media.

Last appearance: Reeva Steenkamp
was photographed at the Virgin Active Sports Industry Awards in Johannesburg a week ago

‘She was a very talented, very bright young girl. It’s too shocking for words. We’ll miss her so much, too much. Our condolences go to her family.’

The blade-runner has done more than any other athlete to put the Paralympics on the global map since he first won medals aged 17 in the Athens Games of 2004.

He was expected to take home a haul of paralympic golds at London 2012 but failed to deliver.

His first final was in the 200m, where he finished a shock second to Brazilian Alan Oliveira, and then accused rivals, including his young conqueror, of running on blades that were too long.

Then Pistorius had to settle for fourth place in the 100m individual event when the glory went to Britain’s new track icon, Jonnie Peacock.

But this defeat and the outburst were followed by a measure of redemption when Pistorius anchored his country’s 4 x 100m relay gold in a world record time.

Just three days ago, Pistorius tweeted about his excitement regarding his first race of 2013, accompanied by a photograph of him in action.

He said: '1 month till my first race of 2013.. Can't wait to burn it up!'

Perhaps due in part to his sudden financial and sporting success, Pistorius has a notoriously complex love life.

Prior to their split late last year, he spent a year and a half dating Cape Town marketing student Samantha Taylor.

But even while he was with Miss Taylor, he was linked with numerous other women, including Russian model Anastassia Khozissova.

Pistorius was first seen with Miss Steenkamp at an awards ceremony in South Africa last November. At the time, the FHM model said the pair were 'just friends'.

But when it became clear that Pistorius and Steenkamp were in fact dating, the sportsman's then ex Samantha Taylor said: 'Oscar has such a way with women. She’s probably not the only one he’s got.”

Miss Taylor went on to tell South Africa's City Press newspaper that 'Oscar is certainly not what people think he is.'

The 26-year-old sportsman has a history of risk taking and also, reportedly, of violence.

In November last year, he reportedly 'threatened to break the legs' of the friend of a man whom he believed had slept with his then girlfriend, who is not Miss Steenkamp.

According to newspaper reports, the sportsman approached South African football player Marc Batchelor in the VIP room of a horse racing track and verbally threatened him.

The sportsman's determination to succeed also seems to be accompanied by a taste for danger.

Icon: The athlete has done more than anyone to promote disabled sport and is one of the world's most famous athletes

Winner: Oscar Pistorius celebrates with his gold medal following the men's 400m win at London 2012

Image: This picture from inside the home shows Oscar and one of his dogs with Reeva Steenkamp at a party with friends

PISTORIUS MANSION IS ON 'SAFEST ESTATE' IN SOUTH AFRICA

The estate where South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is one of the country's best protected.

In 2009, Silver Lakes Golf Estate was voted 'the most secure estate in South Africa', according to its website.

Located in the east of the country's capital Pretoria, the estate consists of more than 1,600 plots of land up to 3,000 sq m (32,000 sq ft) built around an 18-hole golf course.

Prices for homes can be up to nine million South African rand (650,000) for a five-bedroom property.

As well as its golf course, Silver Lakes estate has tennis courts, a driving range, a restaurant, a squash club and a fishing club, as well as a 'social responsibility committee'.

The estate incorporates a wildlife reserve, and in recent years new lakes have been built and existing ones enlarged to turn the estate into a wildlife haven, inhabited by rare birds such as African spoonbills, mongooses and giant African bullfrogs.

South African journalist Kalay Maistry told Sky News: 'It is alleged that he thought his girlfriend, who’d come in to try to surprise him for Valentine's Day, was an intruder. It’s alleged that he shot her in the arm and head.

'I think what this actually highlights is the level of fear ordinary South Africans have.

'This is a man who has gone to bed, it’s an innocent surprise from a girlfriend … and the moment he thinks someone is trying to break in he grabs his gun.

'This has come as a complete surprise for a man who’s considered a national hero.'

On Pistorius's website, a quote from Lord Coe from before London 2012 describes him as a 'real inspiration to people around the world', and a spokesman from sports giant Nike describes time with Pistorius as 'some of the most inspirational time we've ever spent around an athlete'.

Lord Coe said: 'Oscar is an extraordinary athlete who has made a significant impact in international sport.

'It will be fantastic to see him compete in London this summer – spectators can expect a real treat!

'He's been a real inspiration to people around the world so we were thrilled when he decided to join our International Inspiration programme as an ambassador, helping us to inspire young people worldwide.'

Arturo Nunez, Nike emerging markets marketing director, said: 'Nike routinely works with the best athletes in the world, and Oscar Pistorius stands out on that list.

'Many world-class athletes visit Nike and amaze our community, but the two weeks that Oscar spent on campus last summer went down as some of the most inspirational time we've ever spent around an athlete.'